The king expects tribute while your settlers still need feeding. TownsFolk is a colony strategy game for iPhone and iPad that builds this conflict into a small hexagonal map. A few farms and homes form the start of a settlement; the fog around them hides both useful land and reasons to regret exploring it.
Tap an adjacent tile to investigate. The terrain is visible; its contents are a gamble. Mountains provide sites for mines, and new buildings draw on the same resources that sustain the colony. Expanding therefore means checking what the next project will consume, then leaving enough for the king's increasing demands. A productive-looking town can still run short when tribute comes due.
Pocket Gamer found the resource management challenging but familiar. I like the scale described in that review: the map stays small enough for a decision about one building to matter. Short Circuit Studio also builds disasters and uncertain events into the colony's survival. I would point iPhoners toward it for the problem of recovering from a bad situation as much as planning a good one.
That uncertainty can frustrate. US App Store reviewers describe cramped starting maps and sudden resource collapses; one reports an early tornado ending a run. I'd approach the campaign with an appetite for restarting, rather than as a peaceful place to arrange a village.
The separate puzzle challenges offer a fixed problem if restarting a colony sounds too punishing.
